India Requirements

Per CARA, the government of India, families can apply who are interested in adopting a child with a medical need of any age or a healthy child over the age of 5 years unless the family has OCI or NRI Indian heritage status and therefore can request a child of any age, healthy or with a medical need.

Processing Time

From application until arriving home with your child is 12 months or longer. Families adopting a child with medical needs or healthy older child over the age of 7 could complete the adoption process within 12-24 months. Other families will most likely wait several years or longer. The waiting timeframe for a referral of a child is unpredictable and unknown for each family.

Children Available

The children who are available for adoption are boys and girls, some sibling sets, ages 6 months- 15 years of age. Families research medical needs during the home study process and list the medical needs they are comfortable considering adopting. Medical needs include; heart conditions, blood conditions (including HIV), hand, foot, leg or arm differences, vision or hearing impairments, cleft lip/palate, developmental delays, spine conditions, cerebral palsy as well as other medical conditions. Many conditions can be corrected or managed by surgery or therapy and many children receive therapy or surgery while in India. AWAA has many resources to help families research and consider various medical needs or adopting an older child.

Parent's Ages

- Prospective adoptive parents should be at least 25 years of age and no more than 50 years of age if adopting a child age three or younger. Married couples may not have a combined age of more than 90 years. These provisions may be relaxed in exceptional cases, such as the adoption of older children, siblings, and children with special needs. Neither of the prospective adoptive parents, however, can be older than 50 years.

- If adopting a child older than three years of age, the prospective adoptive parents should be at least 25 and no more than 55 years of age. Married couples may not have a combined age of more than 105 years.

- Single prospective adoptive parents must be more than 30 and less than 50 years of age. The maximum age is 45 years to adopt children younger than three, and 50 years to adopt children older than three.

Marriage Status

Couples should be married 5 years. Couples who have been married under five years but dating and married for a minimum five consecutive years are also considered.

Divorce

Couples with more than one divorce are not permitted to adopt from India.

Children in Home

Couples with 4 or more children in the home, or single women with 2 children in the home, can apply to adopt a child who is age 5 or older or a younger child with a moderate to severe medical need.

Income

Families must be able to show they can adequately provide financially for their children. Income and full financial status will be evaluated as part of the adoption process

Criminal History

All criminal history will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Any felonies or crimes against children will disqualify families from eligibility.

Medical History

Applicants must show that they are physically and mentally fit to parent a child by adoption. Current, major, or chronic medical issues within the past 2 years, including mental health diagnosis, are considered on a case by case basis.

Travel to Country

Families will be typically be in India for 2 weeks. This includes traveling to the city where the child’s orphanage is located as well as working with the U.S. Consulate in New Delhi.

Post Adoption

Post Adoption report requirements vary depending on the requirements of the orphanage, province and court decree. The minimum report requirement is every 6 months for 2 years. The maximum is every 3 months for 2 years with additional self reports every 6 months for 5 additional years.